By Melina Huddy
A building was erected at 3401 Grand Central Ave. in 1953 for Vienna Baptist
Church.

Twelve years later
in 1965, an educational wing was added. By 1974, a new sanctuary was being
discussed, though no action was taken.

Years passed and
the church grew to the 700- member congregation it is today while the
sanctuary stayed the same.
In 1989, the congregation offered Nathan Nate E. Williams,
then serving in Pittsburgh, its pulpit. He prayerfully considered the
call, discussed the matter with his wife and decided that his sons
senior year in high school should not be interrupted.

On April 15, 1990,
the call came again.

I never dreamed
that the church would wait a year, but they did. We came to Vienna and
found here a unique situation. Most of my colleagues are settled in their
churches, have been there for 13 or more years and have developed wonderful
relationships with other churches and with the community, Williams
says.

By the time Williams
came to Vienna Baptist, the need for a larger, more functional sanctuary
was critical. There was not enough seating, the restrooms were outdated
and inadequate and the platform was painfully small.

There was not
enough room here for me to take a step without crunching the music directors
toes, so you can imagine how impossible it was to put on a play or have
a childrens program, Williams says.

Then, in April 1991,
several of the church leaders met at Parchment Valley, the West Virginia
Baptist Church Conference Center in Ripley.

Several things
came out of that retreat relating to the goals of the church, including
making the need for a new sanctuary a priority, says Williams.

Planning, discussion
and research began. Needs were discussed. The new sanctuary must have
additional physical space, more seating and a larger platform, or chancellery
area. New and larger restrooms were needed. The existing sound system
was obsolete.

While the existing
structure had been well constructed to meet fire and safety codes at the
time, codes change and technology evolves.

Our goals extended
to include fire, safety, handicapped accessibility not just to meet todays
standards, but to exceed them, Williams adds.

Williams interest
in church architecture had made him familiar with the work of the late
Gary Busey.

Part of Buseys
genius was that he understood the need of a congregation to mingle comfortably
before and after services in adequate space. A tiny vestibule with a coat
closet isnt sufficient, Williams says.

Though he has
since passed on, we were fortunate that we were able to get his help with
developing our facility master plan. When he walked into the old sanctuary,
he remarked that we actually had three congregations, the group who entered
and exited on 34th Street, the 36th Street group and the Grand Central
group. He was right. His observations led to the inclusion of the narthex,
one of the most important areas of our new space, Williams says.

The successful combination
of the churchs needs with the architects vision can be seen
in the nearly completed construction. Entries to the narthex are level
with the parking lot. The wide, light- filled area runs the width of the
church.
Both mens and womens restrooms are equipped with handicap
accessible facilities, adequate vanity space and baby- changing tables.
A small hospitality area, with refrigerator, sink and other amenities,
allows light refreshments to be served in the space.

Parallel to 34th
Street, a glass wall of windows frames the gallery area that opens off
of a covered entry, paved with stamped concrete to resemble slate. Again,
the threshold is the only change in elevation, making the area easily
accessible for the elderly, infirm or otherwise disabled.

The white columns
leading to the plant-filled gallery need only a bride to become more picturesque.

From the narthex,
doors lead to the sanctuary itself. While the new space is nearly three
times wider than the old, it is only slightly more than half as deep.
Pews are angled in a semicircular configuration to promote a sense of
community.

We ran a number
of tests to determine the height of the platform before it was installed.
Now, even the person sitting in the most remote seat will be able to see
even the smallest child on stage. It was one of the things mentioned by
the congregation and we tried to address each and every need that came
to our attention, Williams says.

One of those needs
resulted in an unorthodox placement of pews. Standing at the front of
the sanctuary, four centrally located pews appear shorter than the others,
leaving a curious opening in the seating arrangement.

Williams explains,
A wheelchair in the aisle or at the back of the sanctuary is conspicuous
and can make the user uncomfortable. He or she feels as if they stick
out like a sore thumb and are separated from their family and the rest
of the congregation. Those off-sets are there so that when a wheelchair
is rolled into a place, it fills the space just as if its occupant were
seated on the pew next to their neighbor.

The platform alone
is wider than the old sanctuary and leads to carefully considered conveniences.
At each side, a door leads into a small, enclosed space and stairs to
the baptistry. One of these enclosures conceals a small, unisex rest room.
The other is home to a kitchenette, appreciated by the floral board and
the deaconesses who prepare communion. Upstairs, the baptistry is flanked
by mens and womens dressing rooms.

Above the baptistry,
an arch is spanned by a series of five light boxes with circular frames
for stained glass panels yet to be commissioned. Another incomplete project
is the installation of an elevator that will provide access to all areas
of the church.
Theres a quality in architecture called cistertian which includes
earth tones and expanses of plain surfaces interspersed with Romanesque
arches. When the architect was here and we were discussing the plans for
the sanctuary, I mentioned my preference for the cistertian style. When
he came back with this plan and I saw the geometry, the straight lines
and the arch, I knew he had been listening, Williams says.

Of all the delights
of the new space, listening may well be the one to be enjoyed by the most
people.
A Bridgeville, Pa., engineering firm was hired to investigate the behavior
of sound in the new space. The state-of-the-art sound system that resulted
from a study included the installation of 27 speakers with 7,200 watts
of power.

The back wall is
designed with an inch of fiberglass batting and sound absorbing upholstery
to provide the best acoustics possible. A sound and lighting booth are
in place, with video equipment and monitors waiting to be mounted.

Classical musicians,
gospel groups and school choirs are dazzled by the effect. Janet Blessing,
director of the Jackson Junior High Choir, has chosen the setting for
the groups spring concert on April 23. The 7 p.m. concert is free
to the public.

A southern gospel
music night is scheduled for April 26 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.. The memorial
fund sing to help youth attend Christian summer camps, educational events,
music schools and other related activities is in memory of Harold R. Board.
The sing will feature The Proclaimers, The Williams Family, Psalms Three,
Chosen and Servants. Jerry Villers will be the guest speaker.

To the degree
that such events are compatible with the mission of the church, we will
support any community activity that we possibly can by making the sanctuary
available, Williams says. Two of lifes most important rituals,
weddings and funerals, come to mind in these surroundings.

The superb acoustics
and incredible sound system are used during regular services as hymns
are played on the new Baldwin grand piano and the electronic digital Ahlborn-Galanti
Chroniclers III organ.

Imagine my
surprise when I discovered that the Ahlborn-Galanti technician for this
region is right here in Parkersburg. Not only that, but he is the same
man we had refurbish the 50- year- old chimes in the church. Eric Hutton,
Williams says.
Williams discusses the final touches to be put in place before the dedication
of the new sanctuary on June 2, mentioning two crazy quilts being made
by a group of the churchs women. The quilts contain the names of
every member and friend active in the life of the congregation and will
be hung in the narthex in time for the celebration. A painting given to
the church by Dorothy Decker will have a place of honor.

A special member
and friend of this church is Glenn Henson, a licensed mechanical engineer
known for his work with the Mid-Ohio Valley Transit Authority Board. Glenn
has been the construction manager here since the project began on June
1, 2000 and it is in large part due to his constant vigilance and supervision
that we have achieved this success, Williams says.
He then smiles, standing at the altar, and says, We are well-pleased.